We are all children of life

The Jerusalem Variety Center operates 10 high-quality kindergartens for children between the ages of six months to senior kindergarten. The kindergartens in the Jerusalem Variety Center are run with the spirit of integration. Under a single roof, typical children and children with special needs from all sectors of Israeli society - Arabs, Jews, religious and secular - play and learn together.

All of the children benefit from the advantages of integration. They learn to respect one another, to accept the different and to develop sensitivity to the needs of the other in an atmosphere of reciprocal partnership and friendship. Ultimately, children that learn together, learn to live together.

Children are Happiness
The happiness and security of the children is at the top of the Jerusalem Variety Center's priorities. As such, we scrupulously adhere to maximum transparency, credibility and, most important, a lot of warmth and love. 
  
Our kindergartens are blessed with a professional and devoted staff. The number of children per class is relatively small compared to other kindergartens, creating an intimate and family atmosphere in which each child receives warm and personal attention. 
  
The kindergarten classrooms are spacious, pleasant and well-lit. The children have a safe and protected space in which they can play freely and safely. The kindergarten is designed so as to give the children a wealth of stimuli that beckon them to investigate their environment and the world around them in a way that develops their innate curiosity. 
  
In the course of the day the children experience a rich world of creativity, including a vast array of enrichment activities. The quotidian activity contributes to the children's development by means of stories, music, games, Gymboree, road safety, computers and more. The kindergartens have adjacent playgrounds and shaded activity areas in which the children can experience the fun of playing in the fresh air. 
  
As part of the general approach taken by the Jerusalem Variety Center, we make sure that the three meals that are given to the children are tasty, kosher and nutritious.

Staff
All kindergarten classes have qualified, experienced and dedicated staff members. This staff includes: a kindergarten teacher, an assistant and a young woman performing her national service. The kindergarten team members work in close cooperation with one another and in a family atmosphere of reciprocal support. In the kindergarten classes in which children with special needs are integrated, an extra professional team is present that has the support of a psychologist and a special education coordinator who is appointed by the Education Ministry. 
  
Close cooperation is maintained between the teachers of the typical kindergarten class and the special education class so as to ensure a successful integration between the typical children and the children with special needs. Joint activities for the children of the various classes ensure that the children will grow up and be educated in an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual acceptance.

Every Child is an Entire World-the Integration of Children with Special Needs
The integration of children with special needs is individually done to tailor-fit the specific needs of each and every child. The integration plan is built in conjunction between the staff, which is comprised of the kindergarten teachers, psychologists and a paramedic team, and the parents. The child spends part of the day in the integrative typical kindergarten classroom, and spends the rest of the day in his smaller mother-class, which specializes in meeting his distinguished needs.
  
Children with special needs at Jerusalem Variety kindergartens receive all of the paramedic treatment to which they are entitled: occupational therapy, speech therapy, movement therapy, treatment in a Snoezelen room (a room for multi-sensory stimulation) and physiotherapy.
  
We accept children with communication disabilities, motor and cognitive skills, children with mild to medium mental retardation, children with vision impairments and children from other sectors who need the professional care we offer.

Eliya kindergartens - The organization for preschool blind and visually-impaired children.   
The Jerusalem Variety Center runs in conjunction with Eliya (the organization for promotion of blind and visually-impaired children) kindergartens for blind and visually-impaired children.

  
For additional information, please log onto Eliya's website: http://eliya.org.il.